2019 Season Preview: Brandeis Judges

It might be a Monday, but what better way to start your week than with another season preview! If you missed it over the weekend, RegASouth had the impossible task of previewing what’s going to happen to an always entertaining, always unpredictable, and always eclectic NC Wesleyan team, and NE previewed National Runner-Up Bowdoin. Check them out here and here!

Today we are going to make Joe Tegtmeier’s week with a Brandeis Season Preview! Last year was supposed to be a building year as the Judges graduated the core of their team in Ryan Bunis, Brian Granoff, and Michael Arguello. Instead, Deis turned in a really good, nearly great year. Wins over Bates, RPI, and MIT were the highlights, while a 5-4 loss to Pomona after sweeping doubles, and losses to Case and Wash U at UAA’s after taking doubles leads were the lowlights. The Judges graduated no starters and added a strong recruiting class, which only means one thing: ALL ABOARD THE HYPE TRAIN!

Location: Waltham, MA

Coach: Ben Lamanna (14th year)

Assistant Coaches: Ninja (aka Christo Schultz) 

ITA National Ranking: 21

Blog Power ranking: 13

Power 6 UTR: 69

Twitter: @BrandeisTennis, Great for scoring updates, decent for banter

Hashtag: #RollDeis got a little burn last year

Key Additions: Jeffrey Chen (4-star, #195, UTR: 11.53), Adam Tzeng (4-star, #130, UTR: 11.49), Cole Tegtmeier (3-star, #265, UTR: 10.55), Nicolas Ramirez (3-star, #212, UTR: 10.94 (unreliable)

Key Departures: None

Lineup Analysis:

1. David Aizenberg, junior, UTR: 11.57, range= 1-2. A nice surprise for Brandeis last year was Aizenberg grabbing hold of the top spot halfway through the spring. He scored a nice win over Polk (Stevens), and lost close three setters to Barr (MIT) and Fojtasek (Case). David was abroad this fall, but the main thing we talked about in his absence was how this is going to be the weakest spot for Brandeis. David has a big game and while he’s not going to get hit off the court by anyone he plays, I think he’s going to be the underdog in most of his matches. It’s always a toss-up when players come back from abroad, so it’ll be interesting to watch Aizenberg’s performance as Deis jumps right into their packed schedule.
2. Jackson Kogan, senior, UTR: 11.42, range= 1-4.  Kogan started last year at #1 before ceding to Aizenberg. He’s a loud, emotional player with a big forehand, and when he’s on, he’s a tough out for anyone. This fall Jackson beat Princeton Carter (Wesleyan) and Moldenhauer (Tufts), but had no deep singles runs, which is why it wouldn’t surprise me to see him playing at 3 or 4 this spring. A lock to contribute in doubles, if he remains focused, I see Jackson having a big year in singles as well, wherever he plays
3. Adam Tzeng, freshman, UTR: 11.49, range=2-6. The pride of Eagle, Idaho, Tzeng had a solid fall, taking out Clayton Thompson (RPI), Bessette (Amherst), and Ma (Amherst). The wins over Ma and Bessette give Tzeng the edge as those are two battle-tested starters from a team with NCAA aspirations. Tzeng could play anywhere in the lineup, and more importantly, he gives Deis a chance to win at any spot.
4. Nikhil Das, sophomore, UTR: 11.55, range=2-5. Arguably the team MVP last year, Das had a really good year at #4 last year, and that’s where I’ve slotted him in again. As a freshman he took out Jiang (Bowdoin), Ko (MIT), and Haugen (Wash U) in three straight matches. That’s a really impressive resume, and Coach Lamanna should feel even more comfortable with him at this spot again this year. Nikhil had a great win over Eazor in the Deis/Tufts Invite, and also took out Quijano (Bates), Xiao (Midd), and Foulkes (Amherst) in other action this fall. Look for him to be a rock again this year.
5. Rajan Vohra, sophomore, UTR: 10.96, range=4-8. Vohra had a lot of success last year at #3 for the Judges, with his best win coming over Van Der Sman (Wash U) at UAAs. Rajan played a lot of close matches this fall, losing to Biswas (Tufts) and Fung (Amherst) in 3 sets, while picking up 3 set wins over Imrie (RPI), Samets (Midd), and a solid win over Brach (Midd). There was nothing wrong with Vohra’s fall, but it just didn’t scream “I’m ready to win matches at the top of the lineup”.
6. Jeffrey Chen, freshman, UTR: 11.53, range=4-8. The fact that I’m projecting Chen to play 6 is a testament to the depth Brandeis has this year. It really wouldn’t surprise me if he starts the year hot and ends up as high as #3. This fall, he took a big win over Larry Zhao (Bowdoin), and close losses to Guo (Midd), Yang (Bowdoin), and Bessette. Chen is obviously a talented player and we’ll see him in the lineup this year, the question is when and where.

In the Hunt: Anupreeth Coramutla, sophomore, UTR: 11.39, Tyler Ng, senior, UTR: 11.25.

Doubles: If Brandeis is going to play to its potential this year, their doubles is going to have to be spot on. The Judges have played very good doubles the past few years, and this fall was no exception. Deis swept the Midd Invitational doubles titles, with Tzeng and Kogan winning the A Flight, and Vohra and Das winning the B flight. At ITAs, Tzeng and Kogan made the semis. Ng and Chen won the A flight at the Wallach, and Tzeng and Kogan made the semis at the Tufts / Deis Invite. And all of this was without their best team from last year – NCAA qualifiers Coramutla and Aizenberg. Coach Lamanna is going to have some decisions to make, and while I think the teams switch around a little bit, my guess is they open the season with Aizenberg/Coramutla, Tzeng/Kogan, and Ng/Chen.

Schedule Analysis: Let’s get right into it with Brandeis’ schedule, which is available here.

Key Matches: Caltech (2/18), Pomona (2/19), Redlands (2/21), CMS (2/23), Bates (3/3), Tufts (3/9), RPI (3/15), Midd (3/16), Colby (3/17), Swarthmore (3/23), Bowdoin (4/6), MIT (4/12), UAAs (4/26-28).

Another great schedule put together from Coach Lamanna, who never shies away from giving his team a challenging schedule. As usual, Brandeis starts off their season with their spring break trip. This year they’ll be taking on an upstart Caltech team, Pomona, Redlands and CMS. Coming home, the team gets a little break before taking on what seems like every ranked team close to them. This is definitely one advantage of being in the UAA and not having to play a conference schedule. If you’re a good, ranked team, everyone is going to want to schedule you. Matches against Bowdoin and MIT set up a couple weeks of making sure everyone is healthy before heading to Altamonte Springs where the Judges will no-doubt have upset on their minds.

X – Factors:

Doubles: Brandeis is one of the top doubles teams in the country, and it needs to flex those muscles every match. Usually when we’re talking about doubles, we talk about how important it is to get that 2-1 lead heading into singles. With the three talented teams Deis will be putting out this year, the goal should be to start 3-0 and end matches before they even start

Depth: This is a really tough schedule, especially over spring break. Having 8 really solid guys gives Coach Lamanna the ability to mix and match to keep everyone healthy and engaged, you never know when someone is going to need to step up. Deis has a history of blowing doubles leads, but with a more talented bottom of the lineup than in years past, let’s hope those days are behind us.

Coaching: The players have been excited at the addition of Christo Schultz to the coaching staff, and he should be key for their development. This is probably Coach Lamanna’s most talented team, and sometimes it’s harder to win when more is expected of you. Coach Lamanna will need to push the right buttons this year if this team wants to be a contender.

Prediction:  Brandeis is going to ball out this year. They take out Caltech, Pomona and Redlands on spring break, and don’t have any trouble with Bates, RPI, Colby, and Swarthmore. Matches against Tufts and MIT will be closer, but I wouldn’t bet against the Judges in any matches, save for CMS, Midd, and Bowdoin. This would take us to UAAs where the Judges would likely get the 5 seed, which is where things will get interesting. Even if Deis comes into the tournament with a “bad” loss to any of the above teams, depending on the NESCAC and depending on the draw, they head to UAAs with an NCAAs spot within reach. As much as I’d love to see this team make the tournament, I think they’re still one or two pieces away from seriously challenging the top 4 of Emory, Chicago, CMU, and Wash U

D3NE: NewRegional asked for my take so here goes. I’ve been conducting the Brandeis Hype Train this fall partly because it’s fun and I’m a big fan of Coach Lamanna, but also because I love the direction in which this team is headed. Not only should they be better in 2019, but next year should be even better as well. This lineup is nearly impossible to predict, and I think NewRegional’s guess is as good as any. That said, I find it hard to believe Coramutla won’t be playing some singles to start the spring. He consistently played in the highest flights through the fall, and in doing so played above some of the other lineup guys in every tournament. In addition, Tyler should be a doubles contributor, but don’t forget that he’s one of a few Judges with a wealth of match experience, meaning he could get inserted at the anchor spot in a pinch. There are 7 or 8 guys who all have claims to the starting lineup, so there will be at least one odd man out. My last lineup comment involves young Adam Tzeng. I think this kid could be really good, and it would not shock me to see him playing atop the lineup as early as some point this spring, maybe even to start the year if DA comes back with some rust.

I agree with NewReg that Deis will earn a top-5 seed at UAAs, but their biggest matches in terms of determining their year-end ranking will come against Pomona and Tufts, two matches that could easily go down to the wire, despite the difference in their ranking. As much as I want to say the Judges should be gunning for a final Pool-C spot, they need to show they can win those matches before everybody boards the bandwagon. If the Judges get to the UAA QF match and have a shot at putting themselves on the NCAA map with a win, that should be considered a heck of a season, no matter the result. If that’s the case, Brandeis might just get moved out of D3Regional coverage for good!

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